I tend to find that rather than breaking the stick itself (i.e. snap the shaft/shoulder), that I will splinter the tip, which makes for an uneven surface and so uneven sounds. Winds me up no end, have 95% of the stick being perfectly servicable, but the business end is dead.

I play Vater LA 5A.

Happens to me too although I have broken some were it splits down the grain all the way down. Those sticks with the grain like that are always in the 4pks at guitar center so now I buy single pairs as of last night and try to get the pack price. If I cant get that price, oh well its only like 5 dollars. Also I use nylon tips for practice now because they last A LOT longer than wood tips. I have those saved for gigs.